PV Sindhu produced a dominating performance to beat Nozomi Okuhara and clinch a gold medal in the World Championships 2019.

Samrat Chakraborty

Read Time : 2-min

PV Sindhu produced a dominating performance to outclass third seeded Nozomi Okuhara from Japan 21-7, 21-7 to win a gold medal in the World Championships 2019 on Sunday. In the process, the fifth seeded PV Sindhu bettered her 2017, 2018 appearances in the World Championships final and became the first Indian to win the marquee tournament. PV Sindhu, without breaking a sweat, closed the first game in 16 minutes. Nozomi Okuhara, on the other hand, continued to make unforced errors to allow PV Sindhu clinch the championship point and seal the final in 38 minutes.

With the historic victory, the Rio Olympics silver medallist Sindhu leads the head-to-head battle against Okuhara 8-7. The 2016 Olympics silver medallist had previously beaten the Japanese in the Indonesia Open 2019.

Sindhu completely took control of the match from the opening game. She clinched eight consecutive points to make the final look like a walk in the park. Okuhara, on the contrary, looked out of touch and failed to produce any serious challenge for her Indian counterpart.

In the second game, Sindhu, who had defeated World No.1 Tai Tzu Ying in the quarter-finals, continued to display her brilliance from the outset, clinching seven consecutive points. She did not allow Okuhara settle down as the Japanese displayed her agony by screaming loudly with every point she lost. Sindhu went on to capitalise on her momentum and win the final with ease.